Beautiful but Treacherous

The Black River meandering along the west side of the Town of Kingstree invokes the feeling of a peaceful, natural setting. However, hidden currents and deep holes have made the river the scene of a number of tragedies and near-tragedies over the years. Today, we will look at a few of them.

Looking upriver from the Main Street Bridge.

On March 21, 1896, 30-year-old Samuel McBride Scott's life came to an untimely end on the river when he was killed in a freak fishing accident. Scott, an employee at Joel Brunson's lumber mill, located near the railroad trestle, decided to go fishing after work that Saturday. He took with him an African-American companion, most likely Ned Covington.

There are two stories of what happened, one printed in The News & Courier, the other in The State. The News & Courier account notes that Scott and his fishing partner were returning to Kingstree when they met a canoe, manned by Messrs. Kinder and Bryan. The paper only notes that the canoe capsized, and Scott and his companion attempted to rescue Kinder and Bryan. As part of the attempt, Scott jumped to shore in order to hold the canoe steady. But as he jumped, his foot dislodged his gun which was lying on the boat seat. The gun discharged, hitting him in the chest, killing him instantly. In The State's account of the accident, Scott and Covington were in the same boat as Kinder and Bryan. Kinder fell in the river, and as the others attempted to get him back into the boat, the gun discharged, hitting Scott. That report said Scott lived long enough to remark, "Boys, I am killed!"

A 2013 view of Black River.

As mentioned in the January 8, 2020, post, New Life for an Old Mill Site, T.B. Mims, also 30-years old, drowned on October 2, 1901. Mims, who lived on the Manning Road, had come to town that day to seek medical help for his brother-in-law's wife. After alerting the doctor of the family's need, Mims stayed in town until about 9 p.m. On his trip home, his horse strayed off the road in the dark, down a path leading to the river near what was called the "cut down grounds." The horse, driver, and cart plunged down the three-foot embankment into the river. Two days passed before someone noticed the body of the horse, still hitched to the cart, partially submerged in the river. Mims' body was not recovered, although searchers dragged the river several times. All they recovered was his hat, a cushion, and a storm apron. Sixteen months later, Walter Bryan discovered a partially decomposed body in the river, which was claimed by Mims' family.

Black River during the 2015 flood.

On June 9, 1902, tragedy struck again. Jeremiah Henderson, a sign painter, who had moved to Kingstree from Charleston, was enjoying an afternoon with family and friends on the river. About 4 p.m. he attempted to land a fish that had taken the bait on a pole set in the sand beside a beached boat. Henderson reportedly jumped in the boat to grab the pole but tripped and fell into the water. According to The County Record, this took place at Epps' Bar about a half mile up the river from the bridge. The area where he fell was known locally as Cooter's Hole. The river was 15 to 20 feet deep at that point. Henderson did not know how to swim, but likely would have been saved as someone in his party held out a fishing pole for him to grab. As those on shore were hauling him in, his wife, in a fit of hysteria, fell over the pole, snapping it in two. Henderson sank and did not resurface. Those summoned to help brought in grappling hooks to retrieve his body. He was taken to the bridge where Dr. Jack Brockington unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate him. Kingstree residents were later very surprised to learn that "Jeremiah Henderson" was an alias for J.L. Boone, who was wanted in Charleston for larceny.

Philip Henry Stoll

One week after lightning struck the office at Thorn's Mill in July 1905, Kingstree attorney R.J. Kirk and his son Robert experienced a close call on the river. Kirk, who had in the 1890s been the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, had taken Robert and some of his friends to the bridge to swim. Kirk was seated on the bank talking with P.H. Stoll, while the boys played on a sand bar near "Rock Hole," an area known for deep water, a swift current, and a rocky bottom.  Robert who could swim only if he kept one foot on the bottom, strayed too far from the sand bar and was swept by the current into water over his head. His father, seeing what was happening, jumped fully clothed into the river. He, too, was sucked under by the current. Judge Stoll, although this event happened before his service as a circuit court judge and a Congressman, stripped off his outer clothing and also jumped in the river. Kirk, by then, had managed to grab hold of Robert, but both were being swept down river, sometimes underwater, sometimes not. Stoll returned to the bank and began running along the side of the river looking for a chance to rescue the two. But, they sank out of sight, resurfacing again about 15 feet downriver. This time as they resurfaced, Kirk was able to hang on to a log in the water, which allowed Stoll to rush in and bring Robert, who was by then unconscious, to shore, where he revived him. He then returned to the water to help the semi-conscious father to shore. Both were carried by buggy to Dr. Gamble's drugstore on Main Street, where Drs. Gamble and Jacobs further revived the pair. Robert recovered quickly, but his father was confined to his home for several days from "ingesting too much river water."